Competitive console gamers are finally getting some love with a $1 million Black Ops 2 tournament prize up for grabs. The event will be hosted by Xbox, Major League Gaming (MLG) and the Electronic Sports League (ESL) in Hollywood from 5-7th April. 32 of the top Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 teams from around the globe will compete in this prestigious event which will also be live-streamed.

The only objection I have is that Africa is not included as a competitor, the regions specified are: US, North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. The MWEB GameZone team will be discussing the possibility of the inclusion of an SA qualifier with local Activision distributors, Megrom as well as Microsoft South Africa.

"More people play Call of Duty multiplayer every day than watch the average regular season game of the NBA. The scale and passion of the Call of Duty fan base is simply humbling, and yet there is no formal way to find out who amongst those millions of players is the best of the best, until now," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "Watching the performances of the very best Call of Duty players is already a mass spectator sport on YouTube and Call of Duty Elite. We are going to bring the best players in the world to Hollywood to compete on the ultimate stage, for the ultimate prize. And we are going to invite our entire worldwide fan base to join in the fun."

Teams interested in participating in the tournament can go to the Call of Duty eSports website and register for a free Call of Duty Elite account. Once registered, teams of four can vie for entry into the Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox tournament by competing in the February season of League Play in Call of Duty: Black Ops II on Xbox LIVE. Following the close of the February season, the top eight eligible teams will earn coveted spots in the Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox, including a trip to Hollywood this April to compete for the $1 million tournament purse.

“It’s an absolute honour to have players and fans celebrate the thrill of competition on such a grand stage,” said Mark Lamia, Treyarch studio head. “From the very beginning of development for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, we committed to making eSports an integral part of the game, and it’s going to be awesome to watch the best teams in the world battle it out for everyone to see.”

It’s exciting to see how eSports is growing, both internationally and locally. Last year I made a prediction that the growth in eSports will result in opening up career opportunities for more and more players and that eSports is transforming into a formal discipline, thereby becoming a recognized Sport.

What do you think, does eSports have the potential to be recognized as a Sport, or will it remain a past time hobby? Should we have an SA team competing in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 XP Tournament? Like this article post in Facebook to show your support for an African Qualifier.